


The undefeated king remains on his throne

by pandacheeze



Series: That wishful universe where Cora-san's still alive and kickin' [7]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Admiration, Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feels, M/M, bad memories resurface, doffy vs luffy, doffy wins, supportive Law
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-09-02 09:30:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8662321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandacheeze/pseuds/pandacheeze
Summary: DofLaw - After winning the fight with Straw Hat Luffy, the king of Dressrosa retreats to his castle, seemingly not too injured. 
Law knows that not all damages are physical, and it's times like these when even the strongest warriors need someone to lean on.





	

 

**The heat.**

 

**How the heat singes his skin.**

 

**Even blindfolded, he can still sense the flames near him.**

**Father is on his right side, apologies and pleads falling freely from his mouth like rain from the sky.**

**His dear brother is further away, crying a river.**

**The townspeople down below continue with their angry chants, demanding revenge for their dead sons, enslaved daughters, and lost wives.**

**He hears the _fwip_ of a bow being released, and then there's the screeching sound of an arrow piercing the air, heading towards hi-**

 

"Doffy?"

 

* * *

 

  
The familiar call of his name jostles Doflamingo awake from the ghosts of his past. What he sees through the cracks in his sunglasses is his right hand man with the Dressrosan-style hall in the background, not a wall of fire nor a horde of vengeful villagers.

He raises his grimy hands to feel himself for any embedded arrows, but all he can feel is scathed skin bathed in his own sweat.

Tiredly, the royal warlord redirects his gaze to the owner of the worried voice...

 

* * *

 

Law's POV

It was a close call. Closer than a hair's breadth.

That rubber devil and his posse of colosseum contestants dog-piled on Doffy. Dozens against one. How fair was that?

Not like it mattered, though. While Law and the rest of the Family took care of the small fries, Doffy showed the conceited gladiators who was boss by serving their own asses to them on a silver platter.

The enemies were shown not an ounce of mercy.

And Law watched it all happen. He saw firsthand how Doflamingo annihilated the fools with his strings and brute strength, stepping over piles of weaklings like a titan crushing ants. He swung his outstretched arms from side to side, slashing his opponents with the grace of an orchestra conductor. The sound of his penta-chromatic wires were like music to Law's ears. 

Law witnessed the king in his full glory. The blond's agility and ruthlessness on the battlefield reminded him of why he and Pica and Jora and everyone else in the crew had chosen to follow this man.

But then that Straw Hat boy, who had been knocked out some time ago and carried to safety by his friends, returned to battle. He was insistent, hollering his lungs out as he charged with renewed energy at their leader again and again. Kept rambling about morals and ethics. They're all pirates, for god's sake. It's the Straw Hat crew that's the goodie-two-shoes black sheep in this cruel world.

Punches were exchanged and words were screamed in rage between the two captains, and the next thing Law knew was that Doffy went berserk and the earth itself turned into coils of serpentine strings. Everyone else in the Family had to jump onto something more solid or risk getting ensnared, too. The normal fighters never stood a chance against the random spearing. 

Never before had Law seen the mighty warlord fight tooth and nail against someone with no sign of victory, not to mention a person so childish and scrawny. He couldn't believe that the kid's raw power was a match for Doffy's Awakened mode.

 

If Luffy's Gear Fourth hadn't failed at the last second, the one out cold on the ground could have been Doffy instead. Without their leader, over a decade of hard work trading weapons and Devil fruits would have perished like dust in the wind.

 

Straw Hat's comrades whisked the unconscious Supernova away, fleeing the scene as fast as possible. 

Law intended to go and congratulate the victor but was held back by Cora-san. He realized why when the elder Donquixote lumbers past them unseeingly, snarling and huffing like a deranged beast while his fingers twitched menacingly. It seemed that the blood lust and rush of adrenaline were still boiling in Doffy's veins. 

For the moment, he was too dangerous for anyone to approach.

After a few more steps, Doffy switched from walking to cloud swinging and flies towards their ruined castle.

On the other hand, the rest of the Donquixote Pirates walked back to the castle, going at an easy march due to their wounds. Along the way, Dressrosans and toys right and left lauded their names, thanking them for fending off the seafaring intruders. Long live King Doflamingo, they said. Nobody knew the truth about their underground business yet. Trebol had done an excellent job protecting Sugar.

Citizens stopped them here and there in order to praise them, so it was dark by the time that they arrived at the castle.

There were droplets of blood and crumpled feathers leading to the throne hall. After witnessing the warlord go through such a mental breakdown, the other members opted to give Doffy some time alone. Only Law dared to follow the ominous trail.

 

And there he is... There sits the bruised and battered king on the symbolic throne that he desperately defended. By coming here, Doffy must have felt the intrinsic need to reassert his sovereignty, to ensure that he is still indeed the ruler of this state.

Amid the dark room, moonlight shining through remnants of the ruined walls illuminate the contours of his sinewy figure. The blond is reclined against the high backrest with his hands on the armrests, breathing with noticeable difficulty. The sight reminds Law of an engine cooling down after heavy usage.

The smaller male moves closer until he's standing in front of the throne, right between Doffy's knees. Up close, he realizes that Doffy is asleep. Through the missing chunks of the pink lenses, Law can see rapid movement beneath the eyelids. Dirt-caked fingernails dig into the armrests hard enough to cause dents in the solid gold. Words like _Father_ and _Why_ are whispered through grit teeth

A nightmare about his childhood, perhaps? Must be the result of bad memories triggered by his fight with Luffy, which makes Law hate that boy even more.

"Doffy?" he prompts, because he can't stand seeing his captain suffer like this.

With a sharp intake of air, Doffy's light-colored eyes snap open, as alert as a wild animal's. He glances around and touches himself, like he's checking for injuries. 

The hands finally swipe over his face wearily, knocking the shattered sunglasses off in the process, before returning to lay inert on the armrests.

His eyes finally meet Law's, and it's astonishing how much they can convey.

 

Fear of losing a lifetime's worth of planning and effort. 

Worry about the safety of his Family members. 

Shame for almost losing to a mere rookie. 

Every emotion is as clear as day in those currently lackluster eyes.

 

"Doffy..." Law says as he kneels on the space between the thighs of his superior. His mentor. Big brother. Lover.

 

"The battle is over."

 

Law pulls the blond towards him by the neck, guiding him to lay his head on Law's shoulder.

 

"You won."

 

The warlord exhales a long, rumbling sigh against the tan neck.

 

"So rest assured that..."

 

Tattooed hands splay across Doffy's nape and coat-less back, making him feel warm and secure. 

 

"You're still, and will always be..."

 

Thick arms wind loosely around the slim frame, too exhausted to hug back properly.

 

 

 

"The king of Dressrosa."

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> A place to crash  
> I got you  
> No need to ask  
> I got you
> 
> \- "I got you" by Leona Lewis


End file.
